Web of life

High-density living is commonplace in the world's more populous countries and will continue to become even more so as the global population rises. The secret to maintaining an equitable lifestyle for all lies in how we reconcile the built environment with the natural.

The Beijing subsidiary of Rotterdam-based Office for Metropolitan Architecture has designed one of the largest, most ambitious residential developments to be situated within Singapore's Southern Ridges enclave to address this issue, says former partner in charge of the project, Ole Scheeren.

"The Interlace presents a new approach to contemporary high-density living in a tropical environment. Instead of creating a cluster of isolated, vertical towers the default typology for the region's residential developments The Interlace proposes an intricate network of living and social spaces integrated with the natural surroundings."

Thirty-one, six-storey apartment blocks of identical length are stacked in a hexagonal arrangement around eight courtyards. The interlocking design creates a vertical village of shared and private outdoor areas on multiple levels.

"With 170,000m² of built floor area, the development will provide more than 1000 apartments, set within an 8ha site that forms part of a 9km green belt of parks and recreational facilities," says Scheeren.

Story by: Trendsideas